Germany coach Hansi Flick criticised the UEFA Nations League schedule, claiming teams are being forced to play too many games in a World Cup year.

Die Mannschaft have already played two of their League A fixtures and will play two further games against Hungary and Italy during this window of international games.

The Nations League group stages will wrap up with a pair of games in September.

Germany's players involved in June's games will have less time to recover ahead of the new domestic season, with the Bundesliga starting a week earlier than last campaign on August 5. The Champions League group stage, in which Germany has four participants, will begin on September 6 having started on September 14 last year.

And, with the rescheduled World Cup beginning in Qatar on November 21, Flick believes too much of a burden is being placed on his country's players.

Asked at a media conference ahead of Saturday's game with Hungary if the Nations League games were putting a strain on players, he replied: "I agree with that.

"Four matches are too many after such a season. You have to take the two years into account.

"We had a pandemic and a lot of matches piled up. We will be having 'English weeks' [two-match weeks]

"There will be almost no pre-season preparation then it's Bundesliga and Champions League matches every three, four days until the World Cup.

"This should be looked at and we need to ask ourselves how we can offer players a break because that is important.

"UEFA or FIFA should look into these things and take some measures.

"Now we have to prepare well, we have these four games. We accept them. It is tough for the players after a long season. But we accept it because all teams have the same starting points.

"What we are focusing on is to play a good World Cup in November."

Sergi Roberto has signed a new one-year contract with Barcelona.

The long-serving 30-year-old's previous deal expired at the end of June and he had been linked with Atletico Madrid and LA Galaxy.

Barca on Friday confirmed the versatile Sergi Roberto would remain with the club for at least another season.

The Blaugrana have set a buy-out clause of €400million in the new contract for one of their first-team captains.

Sergi Roberto made his debut for the Catalan giants aged 19 after coming through the academy and has gone on to make 316 appearances for the club.

He has won an incredible 23 trophies with Barca and will be eager to add to that tally in Xavi's first full season in charge.

Sergi Roberto has scored 12 goals for the club and provided 37 assists during his long stay at Camp Nou, including netting the dramatic late winner against Paris Saint-Germain in the famous 6-5 aggregate win in the last 16 of the Champions League in March 2017.

World number one Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the bett1open next week due to a shoulder injury.

Swiatek, who won her second grand slam title at the French Open last weekend, was due to start her grass-court season in Berlin a fortnight before Wimbledon gets under way.

But the all-conquering Pole pulled out of the WTA 500 tournament on Friday, revealing she will take time to rest ahead of the third major of the year at SW19.

Swiatek tweeted: "Due to a recurrent discomfort I am feeling in my shoulder, unfortunately I need to withdraw from the bett1open in Berlin.

"I'm sorry I will not be able to play there. I will focus on recovery and rest in order to be ready for Wimbledon."

Swiatek beat American teenager Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 to regain the title at Roland Garros last Saturday.

That took the 21-year-old's winning run to a staggering 35 matches, one more than Serena Williams' best streak back in 2013. 

Venus Williams is the only other woman since the start of 2000 to have reeled off 35 consecutive victories, while Swiatek and Serena Williams are the only women in the same period to have won six titles in the first six months of a year.

Swiatek was beaten by Ons Jabeur in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year but is a strong favourite to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish for the first time next month.

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed wide receiver Hunter Renfrow to a two-year extension.

Renfrow has emerged as a critical part of the Raiders' offense since being drafted in the fifth round in 2019.

And he has been rewarded with a $32million extension that includes $21m in guaranteed money, according to multiple reports from NFL Network.

He becomes the third high-profile Raider to receive a lucrative extension this offseason, following quarterback Derek Carr and edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

With his future now secured, Renfrow will hope to form a prolific pass-catching triumvirate with tight end Darren Waller and Davante Adams, for whom the Raiders traded in a blockbuster deal in March.

Renfrow has caught 208 passes for 2,299 yards and 15 touchdowns across his three seasons in the NFL.

Renowned as one of the NFL's best route runners from the slot, Renfrow enjoyed a career year as the Raiders made the playoffs in 2021.

He finished last season with 103 catches for 1,038 yards – his first 1,000-yard campaign – and nine touchdowns.

Paris Saint-Germain have appointed Luis Campos as their new football advisor.

The Ligue 1 champions on Friday confirmed the arrival of Campos, who made a big impact as sporting director at Monaco and Lille.

There has been no official announcement of Leonardo's supposed PSG exit, but the appointment of Campos all but confirms the end of the Brazilian sporting director's time in the French capital.

PSG stated that Portuguese Campos will focus on "performance, recruitment, and organisational" responsibilities with the Parisian giants.

"I am delighted to be joining Paris Saint-Germain, which I consider is the most ambitious and exciting club in world football," Campos said. 

"I believe strongly in and share the vision of the club and I cannot wait to get started to further unleash the great potential of this exceptional club."

The 57-year-old joins PSG amid seemingly constant speculation over the future of head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Zinedine Zidane continues to be linked with the hotseat at the Parc des Princes.

Arsenal remain in contract talks with striker Eddie Nketiah.

Nketiah's deal expires at the end of this month and the 23-year-old has been linked with London rivals Crystal Palace.

Arsenal released their retained list on Friday, revealing the Premier League club are in "ongoing discussions" with academy graduate Nketiah after offering him fresh terms.

Nketiah, who spent a loan spell with Leeds United in the 2019-20 season, has made it clear he wants regular first-team football.

He forced his way into the side towards the end of last season, scoring doubles against Chelsea and Leeds before finding the back of the net in a 5-1 final-day rout of Everton.

Fellow striker Alexandre Lacazette left the Gunners as a free agent and has rejoined Lyon.

Max Verstappen says it would be "completely wrong" to introduce a salary cap for Formula One drivers who "put our lives at risk".

F1 introduced a budget cap at the start of last season and that figure was reduced to $140m (£119m) a team this year.

There has been talk of a limit being place on the wages drivers are paid, but world champion Verstappen made it perfectly clear what he thinks about the prospect of that being implemented.

"It's still a bit vague. I think no one really knows where it is going to go but from my side, it's completely wrong," he said ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix: 

"I think at the moment, F1 is becoming more and more popular and everyone is making more and more money, including the teams and FOM [Formula One Management].

"Everyone is benefitting, so why should the drivers, with their IP rights and everything, be capped? We actually bring the show and put our lives at risk, because we do, eventually. So for me, it's completely wrong."

Verstappen says youngsters making their way in junior categories would also be affected.

He added: "Also, in all of the junior categories, if you see how many of the drivers have a sponsor or a backer who will have a certain percentage of their income in F1 or whatever.

"I think it's going to limit that a lot because they'll never get their return in money and if you get a cap, so it will hurt all the junior categories as well and I don't think you want that."

Sebastian Vettel does not believe there has been a "changing of the guard" in Formula One, saying older drivers would thrive with "the right tools" 

Max Verstappen won his first F1 world title last season, dethroning Lewis Hamilton in the most dramatic fashion in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Red Bull's Verstappen leads Charles Leclerc by nine points in the battle for the 2022 title, with the 37-year-old Hamilton sixth.

Vettel, 34, has picked up only five points for Aston Martin, while the 40-year-old Fernando Alonso having 10 points to his name

Verstappen, Leclerc and George Russell – all aged 24 – have emerged as a new generation of drivers with long careers ahead of them.

Four-time F1 champion Vettel says they are fortunate to have cars that enable them to challenge for victories. 

Asked about the young drivers coming through, the German told Stats Perform: "I think it very much depends how competitive your environment is.

"Obviously, usually you're saying that there's a changing of the guard, Lewis has been arguably fighting for the title until the very last lap last year, so it's not too long ago.

"I think it depends always on the situation you're in for sure. There's drivers that are a little bit older like Fernando and Lewis then myself, but I'm sure that you give us the right tools, we still can do the right work."

Vettel hopes Ferrari can give Leclerc every chance of winning his first F1 title.

He said: "Obviously, Charles is one of them and in a good car he deserves to be up there. Hopefully the car will be good enough for him to fight for the title this year until the end.

"We will see, throughout the field you have more that one or two drivers that will be able to battle for victories.

"But usually the right drivers get the right package at the right time, so I'm very happy for him and hopefully he has the car to do it until the end."

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England can look forward to a bright future as Gareth Southgate's Three Lions bid for World Cup glory in Qatar, according to Antonio Rudiger.

The new Real Madrid defender got a first-hand look at the Euro 2020 runners-up when Germany were held to a 1-1 Nations League draw in Munich on Tuesday.

It was the hosts who had the majority of possession but Harry Kane's late penalty – his 50th international goal – sealed a point for Southgate's men, cancelling out Jonas Hoffman's strike.

Rudiger, who signed for Madrid after his Chelsea contract expired, was impressed by England's strength in depth, and reserved special praise for Jack Grealish, who came off the bench in midweek.

"The England squad has great quality," he said.

"It's like [Bukayo] Saka comes out, Grealish comes in. I saw a lot of big, big names were on the bench.

"England have a lot to be optimistic about for the future. I think you people don't need to worry too much. The English players are definitely getting better.

"You have to think about it like this, that players like [Marcus] Rashford and [Jadon] Sancho didn't even make the squad.

"That tells you that you have a lot of depth in the English squad and you have big, big players like Harry Kane, [Raheem] Sterling and Grealish – big names, big players.

"I think Grealish gave the team a real impact – because he came on and he gave good one v ones and everything.

"He is a very dangerous player and those sort of players are going to win you games."

England will face Wales, Iran and the United States in Group B at the World Cup, which starts on November 21.

The New York Yankees survived a disappointing starting performance by ace pitcher Gerrit Cole to come back and defeat the Minnesota Twins 10-7 on Thursday.

Cole, who entered the contest with an ERA of 2.78, got beat up in the very first inning, giving up three consecutive home runs to the top of the Twins' order. Homers by Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa all travelled at least 396 feet, and would have been home runs in all 30 major league stadiums.

The pain did not end there for Cole, as Buxton launched his second long-ball with a three-run shot in the second inning, before giving up his fifth home run of the game courtesy of a 441-foot bomb from Trevor Larnach an inning later.

Larnach's blast spelled the end of Cole's night, finishing with seven earned runs in two-and-a-third innings, and five conceded home runs from seven hits.

But the Yankees made sure their ace would not have to take a loss on his record, with two home runs from Joey Gallo in the first five innings, the second cutting the Twins' lead to 7-4.

D.J. Lemahieu then hit his own solo home run in the fifth inning, before Aaron Hicks tied things at 7-7 with another two-run homer in the sixth.

RBI base hits to Anthony Rizzo and Hicks in the seventh inning gave the Yankees some breathing room, before Rizzo came home on a wild pitch in the eighth to ice the game.

The win moves the Yankees' to 41-16 as the best record in baseball, four games clear of the field.

Harper's heater continues

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper hit his fifth home run in six games as his side defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3 on the road.

Harper, who is trying to win his second consecutive NL MVP, was one of three Phillies to go deep off the Brewers' Cy Young candidate Corbin Burnes.

After Milwaukee's Hunter Renfroe hit a solo shot to cut the Phillies' lead to 3-2, Harper's solo homer restored the margin. Then, a 432-foot, two-run shot by Kyle Schwarber in the eighth inning, and another two-run shot by pinch-hitter Odubel Herrera in the ninth secured the win.

Ohtani carries Angels to first win in 15 games

The Los Angeles Angels' franchise-record of 14 consecutive losses finally came to an end as Shohei Ohtani delivered with both bat and ball in a 5-2 home win against the Boston Red Sox.

Ohtani started on the mound and pitched seven strong innings, conceding one earned run from four hits and two walks, striking out six. 

He also provided his own run-support, scoring the Angels' first runs of the night with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, giving his side a 2-1 lead they never relinquished.

Andrew Velasquez finally allowed the home fans to breathe in the sixth inning, with his three-run blast opening up the margin to 5-1, letting the bullpen coast to the win without issue.

Luka Jovic admitted he was "tired" after scoring the winner in Serbia's 1-0 win over Sweden in the Nations League on Thursday.

Jovic scored the winning goal for the Orlovi at the Friends Arena just before half-time, driving home Strahinja Pavlovic's header back across the penalty area from Dusan Tadic's corner.

The 24-year-old striker put in a commendable performance over 77 minutes despite the lack of match minutes at club level, seeing 551 minutes across all competitions for Real Madrid this past season.

After the match, Jovic revealed his fatigue was different to that of his team-mates.

"Honestly, I'm tired after this match," Jovic told RTS. "I believe the others are too, it's a long season, they’ve played a lot of games.

"I haven't played a lot of games this season, which is also a problem, probably an even bigger one than theirs. We have to tighten up, play that one more game and suffer for those three points."

The Orlovi bounced back from their opening Nations League loss in Belgrade to Norway, moving to six points with the win over Sweden, after defeating Slovenia on Sunday.

Jovic asserted it was important win, keeping Serbia in contention for promotion to League A.

"It was a very important victory for us," Jovic said. "We kind of broke back because we lost the first game in Belgrade.

"I think we played a good game, in a fight, against a quality opponent. We are going to Ljubljana to try to take three points."

In a battle between arguably the two best goaltenders in the world, it was the Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy who came out on top in a 3-1 road win against the New York Rangers and Igor Shesterkin in Game 5.

With the win, the Lightning pulled ahead 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, with a chance to close it out in front of their home fans in Game 6. If needed, Game 7 will head back to Madison Square Garden.

Each team lived up to their staunch defensive reputations early on, leading to a scoreless first 30 minutes, before Ryan Lindgren finally found the breakthrough halfway through the second period.

Lightning defensman Mikhail Sergachev equalised with three minutes remaining in the second term, setting up a nail-biting finish.

After 18 minutes of tight, scoreless hockey, Tampa Bay's Ondrej Palat was able to deflect in a shot on goal, forcing New York to pull their goalie in a desperation move, only for Brandon Hagel to put the icing on the cake with an empty-netter.

Speaking to ESPN after the win, Lightning winger Pat Maroon said his side is no longer rattled by these massive games after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups.

"I think [our recent success] leads to confidence, it calms the nerves," he said. "When you get settled in, and it's a 1-1 game there, our nerves are calm, we're relaxed.

"We know what it takes, we know how to win hockey games, we know how to close out games.

"When we've been put in situations like we have the last two years, you kind of get that swagger a little bit. We've had that adversity with winning in the bubble, and some other things, but like [Steven Stamkos] said, a good road win would be nice.

"The guys played hard, it's a gutsy win."

When asked about what it feels like to live out every young hockey player's dreams of being part of a great Stanley Cup-winning team, Maroon was thankful for the position he is in.

"I just try to go out there and be a part of it," he said. "Be an impact in the room, or on the ice, whatever I can do.

"Certainly these runs have been remarkable for me, and my family, but it's been fun just to be with the boys, and to see how relentless we are in the room, and what it takes to win.

"Guys do whatever it takes – it's so fun to look around the room and to see all the sacrifices we've put together these last three years, it's honestly amazing. I'm happy to be a part of that."

He added: "I remember playing in the basement with my two brothers… playing street hockey, [dreaming of] scoring that game-winning goal, being a part of the Stanley Cup.

"You want to be a part of those moments. Obviously I'm living it right now – I never thought I'd be in the NHL, winning cups – but I'm living it, I'm having fun with it, and I'm enjoying it. 

"We have a great group of guys in there that make everything special."

Didier Deschamps has backed Antoine Griezmann and N'Golo Kante to be at their best by the time the World Cup arrives, heading into Friday's Nations League clash with Austria.

After a disappointing spell at Barcelona, Griezmann's transfer back to Atletico Madrid did not translate into an immediate return to form, while experiencing fitness concerns for the first time.

In a career that has seen him mostly without injury, missing two games in 2019-20 with Barcelona, the 31-year-old missed 15 games with Atleti due to a combination of muscle injuries and Covid-19 enforced isolation.

With that in mind, though, Deschamps believes the talismanic attacker for Les Bleus will be back to his best.

"I know him well," Deschamps said. "He has often benefited more from playing for Les Bleus. It's not his best period.

"A part of it is physical, and a part of it mental. He suffered his first injury this season. I'm not saying he's worn out. I know his qualities and his mind too. He does not baulk.

"This is not his best period, but it does not mean that I question what he is capable of doing. I know very well what he can bring to the collective."

Along with Kylian Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot, also missing in Monday's draw to Croatia, Kante will miss Friday's game in Vienna due to lingering injury concerns.

The 31-year has sat extensive periods on the sidelines at club level over the past three seasons, with continual hamstring problems denying him from a consistent run of minutes at Chelsea.

After missing almost two months of football this past season, Deschamps concedes that Kante's fitness needs to be managed, but will hope to count on him.

"When he is at full capacity, any coach wants to see him in his team," the Les Bleus boss said. "In relation to the deadlines that are ours, let's make sure that he is in full possession of his means.

"Many players have accumulated seasons of 60 games. At some point, organisations suffer a little more. His coach at Chelsea [Thomas Tuchel] would like to have him a little more. You have to manage it. Him there, me here."